The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended five individuals, including a key figure, linked to the LUCC chit fund scam in Uttarakhand. The arrested suspects, namely Sushil Gokhroo, Rajendra Singh Bisht, Tarun Kumar Mourya, Gaurav Rohilla, and Mamta Bhandari, were captured from various locations across the country. The case revolves around the alleged fraudulent activities of M/s Loni Urban Multi State Credit and Thrift Co-operative Society (LUCC), accused of deceiving over one lakh investors through unregulated deposit schemes.
The CBI took over all FIRs related to the LUCC chit fund scam from the Uttarakhand High Court’s Nainital Bench in 2025. Following the court’s directive, the CBI initiated a case on November 26, 2025, under multiple sections of the IPC, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Uttarakhand Protection of Interests of Depositors Act, and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes (BUDS) Act. Investigations suggest that LUCC attracted more than one lakh investors into investing in various schemes, amassing approximately Rs 800 crore in deposits.
While some investors received partial refunds, the CBI estimates the total fraud amount to exceed Rs 400 crore. The agency’s special investigation team, employing technical surveillance and source-based information, is actively pursuing the accused individuals on a day-to-day basis. Sameer Agrawal, identified as the primary accused, along with his wife Saniya Agrawal, are currently evading authorities and believed to be abroad, prompting the issuance of notices and circulars against them.
Allegedly, the accused used illicit gains to acquire several immovable properties, prompting the CBI to share details of these assets with the competent authority for freezing and subsequent distribution among victims under the BUDS Act, 2019. The arrested suspects are being presented before the appropriate court as the investigation continues.
